Excavator-bucket.



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E. R. SHNABLE.

BXGAVATOR BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1912.

1,093,887. Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. R. SHNABLE.

BXGAVATOR BUCKET.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 5, 1912.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

UNiTED srATEsfPATENT orrion.

EMILE R. SHNABLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXGAVATOR-BUCKECI1 T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, EMILE R. SHNABLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,'have invented certain new and use'- ful Improvements in Excavator-Buckets, of which the following is a specification. r

My invention relates to excavating buckets, and more particularly to excavating buckets which are provided with a forward cutting edge and are operated by means A'of pulling and hoisting cables, and which discharge their contents by the tilting or upending of the bucket through the action of the operating cables. Y

rIhe principal object of the present invention is to provide an excavating bucket of high efficiency and durability which shall be capable of discharging its contents from its forward or rearward end as may be desired through a simple and quickly-accomplished transposition of the bucket supporting elements.

Another object is to provide improved means for guiding and supporting the bucket-controlling and sustaining element out of contact with the earth during the digging process, such means also facilitating the digging action of such buckets by preventing the usual drag of and frictional obstruction bythe draft-hitch cross-bar.

A further object is to provide improved means for sustaining the bucket in a substantially horizontal 'or any` other desired carrying position.

Still another object is to provide an eX- cavating bucket which shall have sides free from bails or other obstructions -to the free movement of the bucket through the ground- Further objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention may be well understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which a preferred embodiment of the improvements referred to is set forth.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a small diagrammatic side elevation showing in full lines such an improved bucket resting upon the ground preliminary to digging; Fig. 2 is a side view of the bucket in carrying position, some of the parts beingshown in section; Fig. 3 is a side'view of the bucket in forward-dumping position; Fig. 4 is a front end view of the bucket in carrying position hitched for forward dumping, the front oross-bar being broken to show the rear Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Apr. 21, 1914.

' Application ed April 5, 1912. Serial No. 688,623. i

hoisting chain hitching; Fig. 5 is a front. elevatlonof the improved cable guiding and sustaining draft-hitch cross-bar; Fig. t5 is a top plan showing the forward hitching of 1T and 18, front and rear cross-bars 19 and Q0, and a removable end-gate 21. The sides vand bottom` may be made integral, as may also the front and rear reinforcing' members respectively. The bottom 16 is pro-l vided with ay cutting edge 16 atits forward eXtremity, and skids or runners 16 are secured longitudinally in spaced relation on the. bottom to save the bucket from excessive wear, as well as to reinforce the construction. The end-gate 21 may be readily bolted in position when it is desired to eXcavate in sandy or soft and mucky earth, thereby giving the bucketl greater capacity. IlVhen the bucket is to be used for rearward dumping the end-gate, of course, must be removed.

The draft chains 25 have clevis or shackle connections Q5 with the forward end of the bucket, and similar connections with the de` pending ends 3() of the arched cross-bar 31. From other clevises also in the lower part of these depending ends 30 another pair of draft chains 32 extend forwardly and unite in a ring 32 secured to the drag or draftcable 33. The cross-bar 31 may be made suitably of channel iron, reinforced if desired by knee-braces 34. An eye 35 is secured longitudinally midway between the ends of the cross-bar adapted to support partially .the cross-bar.upon the bucket-sustaining and tilting cable 36, as well as vto guide said cable in its bucket-controlling movement. The use of such an element as this eye has been found advantageous, but it may be dispensed with under some circumstances and arrangement of parts. The cross-bar 31 has for one of its functions the holding apart of the draft-chains 25 so that the pulling strains will not tend to contract the forward end of the bucket, and the construction of this cross-bar in the form of an arch permits its being drawn in front of the bucket without catching in the earth, using up motive power, and adding to the wearing` strains upon the chains and cables, as in th(l stand away from the earth as now disclosed. The hoisting cable is' secured to a block comprising a housing 41 `and a'sheave 42.

As will `be noted from the drawings the frame and housing `for the sheave comprises preferablytwo semi-circular plates, although the exact shape of this housing is not important except that it should be of such shape and dimensions as to provide a varying point'of contact for the stop 43 on the cable'36. In these plates 41 beyond the circumference of thesheave 42 there are provided preferably a pair of alined bolt openings-44 and 45 for the accommodation of a single bolt 46..-These two bolt openings may be disposed variously, or the opening 45 may be dispensed with entirely.

The bucket is supported by the bolt 46 in one or the other of the openings 44. or 45, a pairof chains 50 being held by this Ibolt to the block and extending to either side of the` bucket where they arevsecured by shackles 51 to eyes 52 on the front cross-bar 19, or to the eyes '53 on the rear cross-bar 20, at the top of the bucket, accordingly as it is desired to discharge the contents thereof rearwardly or forwardly, the clevis connections between these elements and the bucket, per' mittin their easy and quick transposition from t e front to the rear of the bucket, or

. vice-versa as desired.

` cross-bar.

The cable 36 passes over the sheave-wheel 42, and is connected centrally to one or 'the` other of the top cross-bars 19 and 20, prefer-4 ably also by means of a clevis, to an eye 54 on the front cross-bar or' 55 on the rear Although theA drawings do not fully illustrate the eyes on these two crossbars in anyone ligure, it will be understood that each cross-bar carries two lateral eyes for the accommodation of the hoisting chains, and a medially arranged eye for the sustaining cable, and that the bucket is'thus suspended at three points-two at the rear and one in front, or two in front and one at A the rear, accordingly as it may be, desired to discharge the contents of the bucket in one direction or the other. The medial eye 55 is omitted from Fig.' 1 of the drawings for the sake of clearness of illustration.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that when pulling strains are applied to the bucket through the draftcable 33, the end of the bucket will be elevated through the action of the sustaining or controlling cable 36 until the stop 43 abuts the housing 41 of the sheave-block. This stop 43 may be adjusted on the cable as occasion may suggest, should it be desired to tilt the bucket more or less fro a horizontal plane. The bucket having been filled with materialthrough the dragging action of the cable 33, it may be raised by means of the hoisting cable and transferred to a demitted to pass over the sheave 42 and a 'the end of the bucket to tilt downwardly sired point of discharge, the bucket being heldin a substantially horizontal positlon the while through the tension maintained upon the controlling cable 36. When it 1s desired to discharge the contents of the bucket it is only necessary to release the tension of the draft cable 33, the controlling and su staining cable 3G thereupon being Ren under the action of gravity.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be madev in the form and construction of the excavator bucket herein depicted and -described without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

I claim:-

. 1. In an excavator bucket, the combination of a bucket body having side walls, a bottom provided with a forward cutting edge and a removable rear wall, a draft cable, connections'between the draft cable and the front edge of the bucket body, a hoisting c cable, connections between the hoisting cable and one end of the bucket body at the top thereof, a block carried ,by said hoisting cable, a controlling cable trained over said block and connected at one end to said draft cable and at its other end to the top of the bucket body at the opposite end from the connections with the hoisting cable, anda stop secured on ksaid controlling cable in' position to engage with said block and limit the travel of the controllin cable in one direction said controlling cab e and the connections etween the hoisting cable and the s bucket body being adapted to be transposed relatively to the bucket body whereby the bucket may be caused to dump either forwardly or rearwardly upon slackening of the controlling cable.

2. In an excavator bucket, the` combination of a bucket body havin side walls and a bottom provided with a orward cutting edge, a pair of draft elements leading forward from said bucket, an arched cross-bar between said draft elements, a draft cable with which said draft elements are connected, and means connected with said bucket and said draft cable and slidably engaged with said cross-bar for retaining the bucket in non-dumping position.

3. In an excavator bucket, the combination of a bucket body, a draft cable connected with the front end of said body, a hoisting cable connected with one end of said body, a controlling cable connected with the other end of said body and with said draft cable and adapted to vary the inclination of said bucket body, a block carried by said hoisting cable over which said controlling cable runs, and a stop adjustable on said controllingl cable to engage said block for limiting t e movement of the controlling cable in one direction, said controllin cable and hoisting cable being adapte' for connection to either Aend of the bucket, whereby said bucket may be caused to dump either forwardly or rearwardly.

4. In an excavating bucket, the combination of a bucket-body havin sidewalls and a bottom provided with a orward cutting edge, a pair of draft elements leading forward from said side wallsr and secured thereto, an arched cross-bar between said draft elements, a controlling cable adapted to lvary the inclination of said' bucket, and ran eye on said arched cross-bar'and above the plane of said draft elements, said eye being adapted slidingly to accommodate said controlling cable and to hold the same substantially out of contact with they earth durscribed.` l c .5. In an excavator bucket, the combinar` ing digging operations, substantially as detion of a bucket body havin side walls and a bottom vfrovided with a orward cutting edge, a draft cable connected to the front en of said bucket a removable closure for the rear end of said bucket, a hoisting `cable connected with oneend of said bo a ',controllingvcableconnected with the other end of said body and with said draft cable and adapted to vary the inclination of said bucket bod and a block carried by said /hoisting cable over which said' controlling cable runs, said controllin cable, and hoistin cable being adapted or connection to eit er end of the bucket whereby said bucket may be caused to dump either forwardly or rearwardly. Y

y EMILE R. SHNABLE.

Mrn'roN T. MILLER. 

